Dispenser for shortening having an extruding piston operatively connected to the closure for the dispensing opening



Dec. 12, 1950 R. T. OSMAN DISPENSER FOR SHORTENING HAVING AN EXTRUDING PISTON OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE CLOSURE FOR THE DISPENSING OPENING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1947 Dec. 12, 1950 R. T. OSMAN DISPENSER FOR SHORTENING mwm; AN EXTRUDING PISTON OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE CLOSURE FOR THE DISPENSING OPENING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1947 Patented Dec. 12, 1950 DISPENSER FOR SHORTENING HAVING AN EXTRUDING PISTON OPERATIV ELY CON NECTED-TO THE CLOSURE FOR THE DIS- PENSING OPENING Ralph T. Osman, Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Application January 9, 1947, Serial No. 721,035

3 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensingdevices and has as its object to provide a convenient and practical dispenser for shortening of the type that does not require refrigeration.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispenser which may be mounted in some convenient place in the kitchen and from which a measured quantity of shortening may be quickly and easily extruded in a manner entirely eliminating handling the shortening.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispenser of the character described which will receive a bar of shortening, as for instance a pound, as packaged for sale.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispenser for shortening and the like which is fully closed to protect the contents thereof and in which the door closing the discharge opening is automatically opened upon initial actuation of the extruding means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple but effective cut-off device for severing the extruded shortening, and which is so designed and constructed that the severed shortening will fall straight down into a dish or other receptacle placed to reecive it.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispenser of the character described which can be quickly and easily refilled.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a shortening dispenser embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof with parts broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the removable piston or plunger and its actuating lever;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cut-off device; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view of the latch mechanism for the door of the discharge opening.

Referring now particularly to the accompany- 2 ing drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral I indicates the main body or container of the dispenser. This body or container has a prismatic shape of a size to receive a pound "bar of shortening. Its rear walk! and front wall 3 are connected by side walls 4, and its bottom wall 5 has a round discharge opening 6 through which the shortening may be extruded by a piston or plunger 1. The to of the container is preferably closed by a removable cover 8 which has a hole to slidably receive and guide a piston rod 9 extending up from the piston or plunger I.

The upper projecting end of the piston rod 9 also extends through a hole HI in an operating lever II. The lever H is hingedly connected to the rear wall 2 by a removable hinge pin l2, and its outer end provides a handle l3 by which the lever may be pumped up and down. Such actuation of the lever, through coaction between a pawl l4 and a rack l5, forces the piston or plunger downward to extrude the shortening through the opening 8.

The pawl I4 is pivoted to the lever II and is urged by a spring IE to engage the rack I5 which is on the piston rod 9. By counting the clicks produced by the pawl engaging successive teeth on the rack, the amount of the shortening extruded can be measured as the stroke of the plunger will be the same for each click.

The shortening extruded from the container may be cut off by a wire knife" I1 stretched between the arms of a U-shaped frame Ill. The frame I8 is slidable in guideways l9 solocated that the wire I! is in close juxtaposition to the bottom wall 5 as it moves transversely thereacross to pass through the shortening protruding from the opening 6. A stop 20 limits the outward movement of the frame I8.

Attention is directed to the shape of the opening 6. The opening being round, it follows that the area thereof transversed by the wire II in its final severing stroke, decreases more rapidly than if this part of the opening were bounded by a straight edge parallel with the wire. Objectionable hinging or downward swinging of the shortening being severed is thus precluded. Obviously, the opening 6 can beof any other shape as long as the area of the portion thereof transversed by the wire in its final movement is small.

The dispenser can be quickly and easily loaded or refilled upon removal of the plunger or piston audits actuating lever, such removal being enabled by the withdrawal of the hinge pin II.

A cover 2| is provided to close the discharge 3 opening 6. To enable this cover to close "the opening without having any portion of the cover contact the shortening, the cover is cup shaped and larger in diameter than the opening 6. Contact between the cover and the exposed shortening would interfere with easy opening of the cover which takes place automatically upon initial actuation of the lever II. To this end the cover 2| is carried by an arm 22 hinged as at 23 along at the bottom 01' the rear wall. A torsion spring 24 yieldingly urges the cover 2i to its open position while a latch device 25 holds the cover closed.

The latch device 25 consists of a bell crank lever 28 pivoted to the rear wall 2 and engageable with a tongue 21 projecting rearwardly from the mounting arm 22 of the cover. A rod 2! slidably mounted in guides 29 on the rear wall 2 engages the bell crank lever 26 and trips the same to free the cover for opening upon initial raising of the lever H, the upper end of the rod 28 being engaged by a rearwardly extending tongue 30 on the lever. The rod 28 is yieldingly held in engagement with the tongue 30 by a spring 3| on the rod between one of the guides 29 and a collar 32 fixed to the rod.

Hence, as soon as the lever l I is lifted, the cover 2| automatically opens. A small handle 33 extending from the side of the cover provides means for manually reclosing the same.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides a convenient dispenser for shortening and the like which enables the housewife to dispense any desired measured quantity of shortening directly into a dish or other receptacle thus entirely obvi ting handling the shortening.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A dispenser for packaged shortening and the like comprising: upright side walls defining a tubular body substantially square in cross section to receive a "bar of shortening insertable through the open top of the body; a wall closing the bottom of the body and having a restricted opening therein; a piston shaped to loosely lit the interior of the body and slidable'longitudinally therein. said piston being removable through the open top of the body to enable inserting a bar of shortening into the body; a relatively flat removable cover closing the top of said body; a piston rod on the piston extending upwardly therefrom and projecting through an aperture in the cover to the exterior of the body; a rack on the piston rod having teeth facing one side wall of the body; a substantially flat actuating lever overlying said cover; a hinge connection between said leverand the body substantially in the plane of said body side wall, and by which the lever is supported for swinging motion to and from a position resting flatwise upon said cover, said lever having a hole therein through which the piston rod passes; a pawl mounted on the lever in said hole therein for cooperation with the racket teeth on the piston rod to force the piston downwardly with each downward stroke of the lever; a closure for closing said opening in the bottom wall; a hinge connection between the body and said closure parallel to and in the same vertical plane with the actuating lever axis by which the closure is mounted for swinging move- 4 V bottom wall of the body; and means controlled by the actuating lever for releasably latching said closure in its position covering said opening in the bottom wall.

2. In a shortening dispenser of the type wherein downward motion of a piston in the interior of the dispenser body effects extrusion of shortening in the body through a restricted aperture in the bottom wall of the body: an operating lever mounted on the top of the body for oscillatory motion about a substantially horizontal axis adjacent to one side of the dispenser body; a pawl and ratchet connection between the lever and piston whereby oscillatory motion of the operating lever is translated into downward motion of the piston; a cover for closing said aperture in the bottom wall of the body; a hinge connection between the body and said cover having its axis parallel to but vertically spaced from the axis of the operating lever; means biasing the cover to an open position swung away from the opening in the bottom wall of the body; and means for releasably latching said cover in an operative position closing the aperture in the bottom wall of the body, said means comprising a bell crank and link connection between the operating lever and the cover operable upon initial actuation of the operating lever to effect release of said latch means to allow the cover to open.

3. In a shortening dispenser of the type wherein downward motion of a piston in the interior of the dispen er body effects extrusion of shortening in the body through a restricted aperture in the bottom wall of the body; an o erating lever mounted on the top of the bodv for oscillatory motion about a substantially horizontal axis adjacent to one side of the dispens r body; a pawl and ratchet connection between the lever and piston whereby o cillatory motion of the operating lever is tran lated into downward motion of the piston; a cover for closing said aperture in the bottom wall of the body: a hinge connection between the body and said cover having its axis para lel to but vertically spaced from the axis of the operating lever; means biasing the cover to an open position swung away from the opening in the bottom wall of the body; and means for releasably latching said cover in an operative po ition closin the aperture in the bottom wall of the body, s id means comprising a rod carried by said side wall for endwise u and down mot on, means biasing the rod upwardly, apart on the actuating lever engaged by the u per end of the rod for translating the upward biasing force on the rod into a turning force on the lever tending to hold the lever down onto the top of the dispenser body, a bell crank lever pivotally carried by said side wall and having a downwardly depending arm thereon engageable with a part on the cover to hold said cover in a closed position, said bell crank lever having a horizontally extending arm thereon lying in the path of downward movement of said rod, so that downward movement of the rod imparted thereto by swinging movement of the operating lever away from the top of the dispenser body effects pivotal motion of the bell crank lever to disengage said downwardly depending arm thereof from the cover, allowing the cover to open in response to the biasing force thereon.

RALPH T. OSMAN.

(References on following page) 5 REFERENCES crrnn 821,300 Little May 22, 1906 9 Name Date Agner Nov. 16, 1909 Dayis May 24, 1910 Kelley Feb. '7, 1911 Mandel July 1, 1924 Little et al. Sept. 14, 1926 Errig Nov. 17, 1931 

